Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-10-08
POOTHItL FRUIT BELT.
LETTER FROM PLACER UPON
TIE SUBJECT.
Something Of the Resources and
Productions of Our Foothill Sec
ton as Seen by Others.

A correspondent (''E. D. T.")), writing
from Ophir, Placer county, to the Pacific
Fruit Grorer, published at Los Angeles
says:
Placer county may be taken as good
representative of the foothill fruit belt of
the Sierras. The planting of trees and
vines commenced there at an early date,
and the building of the Central Pacific
Road through the county greatly stimu-
lated that business, as it afforded good
shipping facilities and a ready market.
Men of intelligence and energy have
taken hold of it, and the product of or
chards and vineyards in the Newcastle
district have reputation second to none
in size, color, lusciousness and shipping
quality. Fruit ripens very early, and for
that first put in market, producers get top
prices. This is an advantage worth con-
sidering by those contemplating settling
down to fruit growing. The first berries
and cherries to reach the San Francisco
market are from Newcastle, in Placer, and
Nacaviile in Solano county. Sometimes
one place precedes the other by few days,
but generally they are on about the same
time.
Placer's crop the present year is reported
one of the best ever had, and good prices
are being realized. All the different kinds
of fruit grown in the State reach great per-
fiction in the foothills, where water is
abundant for irrigation, being supplied by
the great canals originally dug for convey
ing water to the gold placers. The placers
have been pretty well exhausted in the
L. r. IL r
fruit, and the owners of water rights now
find more permanent market for the
precious fluid among the farmers. The
Board of County Supervisors, by the pres
ent law, fix the price. 1t is now from 20
cents to 25 cents per inch, miners meas
urement An inch Of water thus meas
ured is the equivalent of about 1-50 of a
cubic foot Of water per second. Ordinarily,
an inch is sufficient to irrigate ten acres of
trees or vines.
Irrigation commences in May and ends
in September. The winter rainfall is suf-
ticient for grain and hay crops In former
years the debris from the hydraulic mines
caused the waters of the bitches to be
thick with mud, necessitating the use of
settlers, but now, since that kind of mining
has been restrained, the water is resuming
its original purity and clearness and is
better for use in irrigation
The Newcastle Fruit Company (incor-
porated, J. C. Boggs, President), Geo. D.
Kellogg (who is also connected with
Towle Bros, in extensive lumber businessl,
Wilson & Son (who arc the pioneers in
the business), and the Cooperative Com
pany are all dealers in fruit at Newcastle.
The aggregate of fruit to be shipped will
probably reach 500 carloads the present
season. Quite an amount of fruit is
shipped from other stations on the Gen.
trail Pacific road. These firms buy the
fruit from the producers, paying them on
the 18th of the following month. This
gives them time to get returns and is ad-
vantageous to the producer. The small
grower or beginner, who has but little can
sell as readily and on as good terms as the
large grower The firms advance the
farmers all boxes and other things re-
quired for packing their fruit The State
of Nevada draws largely on this district
for its supply of fruit.
The crop of citrus fruits is steadily in
creasing, as the early planted trees are
coming. into bearing, and many new groves
| are being planted. Olives are well
dNdJlSo W al lHlS ISSlOU, anu IlduN GA-
tensiye new orchards are being put out.
Considerable oil will be made this year
Figs grow TO mammoth size, and bear
proportionately two or three crops. Those
| now bearing are the purple Mission
variety; when the real Smyrna is intro
duced in quantity as it should be- the pre-
served fig ought to figure largely in the
| output.
Hill fruit land can now be had from $40
to SO per acre, according to location and
quality. A climate that produces the
| cherry and apple alongside the orange and
pomegranate speaks for itself, and must Re
of the best. The best of water and abund-
ance of timber abound in all parts Lum-
Der is cheap and abundant 1t may be re-
marked that owing TO the prevalence of
the Goblin moth apple cultivation lis net
profitable below an altitude of 1000 feet
But at and above that elevation a very SUI
perior apple is grown. Scale has pre-
vailed in some of the orchards, but the
vigorous fight that is being made against it
by spraying is gradually driving it out. In
some localities it is believed to be going
out by natural causes. This may be the
| case. 1t is worth Observing
The Bear River ditch is to be enlarged.
Its owner, Mr.. Birdsall, says in October he
shall commence, and its cost will be about
$4,000. 1t will be then II feet wide at
top and feet at bottom. A ditch is also
projected from the American river to cover
| the land from Newcastle to the plains of
the Sacramento. Placer certainly offers
great inducements to the home-seeker in
common with other parts of our glorious
State. 1t is not for us to institute COM
parsons but to give facts.